Ni'Kar of the White Spot
by Bearthsong
Summary: Commander Ni'Kar of the Fourth Circle is growing weary of bullying the cargo vessels of other races, and the Captains of those vessels are becoming increasingly frustrated by the unreasonable demands of the Narn Regime. Ni'Kar decides that he must go to the Human space station, Babylon 5, in order to chat with his more powerful brother, Ambassador G'Kar of the Third Circle.
1. Territorial Incursion

5

 _ **Ni'Kar of the White Spot**_

(A Fan Fiction story based upon the Universe of the T.V. series _"Babylon 5"_ , created by J. Michael Straczynski)

 _ **Chapter One: Territorial Incursion**_

Ni'Kar of the Narn Regime directed his crew to move in on the cargo ship which was infiltrating Narn space. The white-spotted Commander of the Narn heavy cruiser did not want to have to bully a small cargo ship, but its Captain needed to be made aware of the boundaries which separated the nearby Narn colony of Richilari from the Human colony of Io. A treaty had been negotiated, but many Humans were not satisfied with the lines that had been drawn. Many felt that it violated their right of passage through traditionally used trade routes. Ni'Kar wanted to make sure he made a thorough attempt at diplomacy first before he descended into Narn intimidation techniques.

"Open a line of communication to the cargo ship," he told his comm officer, Na'Til.

"Line open, Sir," Na'Til responded crisply.

"Captain of the Io cargo vessel," Ni'Kar began, switching his speech to the Earth language, "This is Commander Ni'Kar of the Narn Regime, aboard the heavy cruiser _Ta'Kel._ I am here to inform you that you are in violation of the Io-Richilari Treaty, which clearly marks this area of space as belonging to the Narn Regime. I am authorized to escort you out of this zone and into neutral territory. I would very much appreciate your cooperation in this matter."

Ni'Kar waited for a few minutes, letting the Captain digest what he had just told him. Many Humans had been bitter and argumentative about the new boundaries, because they forced them to add more travel time onto their trade routes.

Finally, a return transmission was sent. An image of a grey-haired, dark-skinned Human appeared on the viewing screen.

"Commander Ni'Kar," the male Human responded, "This is Captain Jonas Rhodes. The zone that you are referring to has been contested by the people of Io. We do not consider it to be a part of the Narn Regime, but rather we believe it to be neutral territory. Many of us have used these trade routes for generations, and we don't want to change direction now."

Ni'Kar sighed. He was no doubt going to be in for a long argument. Most Narn Commanders would have fired a warning shot for such impudence from an unarmed Cargo vessel Captain, but Ni'Kar was not like most Narns. He was one who was known for going well out of his way to prevent violent confrontations with other species. Some Narn Captains felt that he went too far out of his way to oblige people who did not want to abide by the rules.

" _But who makes the rules for the stars?"_ Ni'Kar would say in answer to such questions.

As a Councilor of the Fourth Circle and _Fleet Commander for the Colonies and Outer Territories_ , Ni'Kar occupied a high enough political-military position to ask these kinds of questions; but it was nonetheless unpopular to do so, especially among officers of the Narn Military. In addition to commanding the Fleet Leader's heavy cruisier the _Ta'Kel,_ Ni'Kar owned his own ship, the _Nu'Ral._ When he was out in the _Nu'Ral_ , he did things in his own way, whether the Narn Military liked it or not. Ni'Kar had organized his own regiment within the Military Division, one that was dedicated to finding honorable solutions to political problems such as territory incursion by alien populations. Even so, Ni'Kar _was_ a member of the Narn Military and had to comply with certain rules, especially when commanding a standard military vessel such as the _Ta'Kel._

"Captain Rhodes," Ni'Kar replied in as jovial a fashion as possible under the circumstances, "We understand that the people of Io contest the territorial claims of the Narn Regime. But whether they agree or not, I must enforce the boundaries. My Regime requires it of me. If it were up to me, I would allow you to trespass as much as you wanted...but it is not up to me."

Captain Rhodes sighed, as if realizing that the fight was a futile one. Ni'Kar could tell by the sound of his voice that this argument, at least, would be a short one.

"All right, I guess I've got no choice," Rhodes conceded bitterly, "But I think you Narns are getting awfully greedy as you gain power. I'm going to file a complaint with your government. We have to travel through the neutral territory which is occupied by the diplomatic and trading outpost, Babylon 5. We will be sending a report to the Narn Ambassador who is living there, and we will underline your ungracious behavior towards us."

"Yes," Ni'Kar responded in a friendly tone of voice, "The Human space station. My pouch-brother G'Kar is stationed there as Ambassador of the Narn Regime. We are also due to arrive at Babylon 5 in a few days. Perhaps we will see you there, and G'Kar will punish me for my ungracious behavior towards you."

"Fat chance," Rhodes muttered, glowering at Ni'Kar, "But we're filing the protest nonetheless."

"Please do, Captain Rhodes," Ni'Kar encouraged the Human, "If no one files protests, the Regime will think that everybody agrees with its policies."

Rhodes' image faded from the screen. Ni'Kar was not being sarcastic when he told Rhodes this. He secretly wanted the alien governments to challenge the Regime more vigorously, for he himself did not like the aggressive and often dishonorable strategies that his government had been putting forth recently. Most of the alien governments, however, were too afraid of the Narn Regime to seriously challenge it. Even the once-great Centauri Republic had lately been backing down in the face of Narn territorial ambition. The latest incursion into Centauri space had taken place around an agricultural colony named Ragesh 3. Ni'Kar had participated in the assault on the colony, and he had aided and abetted the bullying and harsh treatment of the unarmed Centauri colonists there. The Human Commander of Babylon 5, Jeffrey Sinclair, had thankfully blackmailed his brother G'Kar with some damning information about the Regime's practices around supplying arms to Raiders. The Raiders were dishonorable pirates who stole whatever they could from innocent Cargo vessels such as the one that Captain Rhodes commanded. Because of this threat on the part of Sinclair, and because his government was under scrutiny and pressure to move out of Ragesh 3, G'Kar had ordered the Narn forces to abandon the mission.

Ni'Kar had secretly arranged safe passage for some of the colonists to Babylon 5 in order to escape the wrath of the incursion, but it did not excuse his own participation in the "dishonorable and cowardly raid" on a civilian population, as Sinclair had referred to it. Ni'Kar felt ashamed of himself for having been a part of it, but he truly had been given no choice. Because he was constantly attempting to find honorable ways to deal with enemies, he also constantly needed to prove his loyalty to his Regime in order to prevent himself and his immediate family from being arrested and possibly executed for treason.

Ni'Kar had many enemies within the Regime itself, Narns who felt that he was "too soft" and therefore a danger to Narn aspirations in space. There were times when even he and his brother G'Kar found themselves on opposite ends of political arguments. The reason that he and his brother were not enemies was that they had grown up together during the brutal occupation of their world by the Centauris when they were both young pouchlings. Ni'Kar had protected his little brother, then named Rai'ko, from the cruel dictates of the Centauri Master, who had ordered the execution of the boys' father for the "crime" of spilling hot _jhalla_ on the Mistress of the Household in which their families had been serving.

G'Kar had never forgotten Ni'Kar's love and protection during that awful time, and he had later returned his debt to Ni'Kar by protecting him from political enemies within the Narn political culture. G'Kar had risen far above Ni'Kar's position to become a member of the Third Circle and a ruling member of the Kha'ri, the chief political body on Narn. As such, he had the authority to provide protection for Ni'Kar, especially when he performed actions which were unpopular or unwise. Ni'Kar had owed his life to G'Kar on many an occasion during their adult lives. G'Kar, on the other hand, would not have survived to adulthood had his older brother not been there to soothe the ruffled egos of the Centauri Masters whenever his younger brother so much as growled at them. Ni'Kar would use a mixture of jovial humor and negotiating skills to convince the Centauris not to imprison or kill the young Rai'ko.

Ni'Kar brought his awareness back to the present moment as his navigator, Kar'Lonn, asked for direction.

"Let us set course for Babylon 5," Ni'Kar commanded him, "Open a jump-gate point, Kar'Lonn. I wish to speak to my brother G'Kar in person about this business of territorial incursion."


	2. The Inquisitive Mr Garibaldi

6

 _ **Chapter Two: The Inquisitive Mr. Garibaldi**_

"G'Kar!" Ni'Kar called after his brother's retreating backside, "Come back! I have not finished speaking to you yet..."

"It will have to wait, my brother," G'Kar returned his call, waving his arm in the air to signal that the short discussion which had been taking place a minute ago between the siblings was over, "I have a Council meeting to attend. After that, if you wish, you may join me for supper in my quarters."

"Arrrrrghhh!" Ni'Kar growled in frustration.

He knew that his younger brother was busy dealing with many diplomatic issues aboard the bustling space station, _Babylon 5,_ but he sometimes felt as if G'Kar delighted in dismissing his big brother as a display of his greater political power. G'Kar was a proud Red-Eye and a member of the Third Circle of their government; and he did not hesitate to pull rank on Ni'Kar whenever he felt that the big brown-eyed White-Spot was taking advantage of his familial relationship with him. Ni'Kar knew that he could not blame him for doing so, but nonetheless it irritated him. G'Kar should respect Ni'Kar's position as elder brother within the Family Brood, but he often neglected to do so.

Ni'Kar wandered around the space station aimlessly. The _Ta'Kel_ was docked and shut down for a diagnostic, and so he and most of the crew had been set loose on _Babylon 5_ for the next few hours at least. He felt a momentary desire for an alcoholic beverage as he walked by one of the busy " _B5"_ bars. He kept walking, for he knew that the moment he started drinking he would not be able to stop. The last time he was here, he had disgraced himself and his brother by becoming so intoxicated that the Security Team was obliged to lock him up for the night. G'Kar had been so disappointed in him that he had left him in the custody of the Human Security Officers, and Ni'Kar knew that he had richly deserved it. His drinking had always been a big problem for his wife and family, and he had finally determined that he was going to stop once and for all.

The Human Security Chief of Babylon 5, Michael Garibaldi, had recommended a group for him called "Alcoholics Anonymous" which had encouraged him to stay sober. Garibaldi himself had the same problem, and he had even gone with Ni'Kar to the first meeting.

Ni'Kar went over to a big screen, where the meeting times were posted. He keyed in the initials "A.A." and a list of times came up on the screen in both English and Narn. The next one would not be until tonight; and he was scheduled to have supper with G'Kar at that time. _Well, maybe the next time_ , he thought wearily. At least aboard the _Ta'Kel,_ there would be no temptation. Alcoholic beverages were strictly forbidden aboard the military vessels.

"There's another one tomorrow," a man in a grey Security jacket told him.

Ni'Kar whirled about to see his friend, Mr. Garibaldi.

"Garibaldi," he said in the Earth language, "It is good to see you again."

"I hope you're keeping out of trouble, Ni'Kar," Garibaldi returned, "I don't want to have to haul your white-spotted ass into a jail cell again on a "drunk-and-disorderly" charge."

"I try, Garibaldi," Ni'Kar replied, "It's not easy."

"No, it never is," the Security Chief responded, "What's your mission this time, Big Guy? You have any more Centauri refugees under your wing?"

"No, Garibaldi," Ni'Kar responded, "Ragesh 3 is over, and has been allowed to stay under Centauri jurisdiction."

"Well, that's nice of you guys," Garibaldi replied in his usual sardonic manner, "Have you been selling weapons to any more Raiders lately?"

"No, Garibaldi, I do not sell to those vipers. I admit the Narn Regime is bad, but you know I try to do what is right—when my Regime will let me."

"Well, you and your 'Regime' have been a pain in the ass over the last few months. Sorry to be inquisitive, but I like to know what's coming down the pipes if at all possible."

"I cannot blame you, Garibaldi. No, right now I am here to talk about territorial incursion by your people—mostly aboard cargo ships. They are challenging the boundaries, and I am worried that some may get hurt if they run into the more aggressive Narn Commanders."

"The Narn Empire is still operating at its most generous level, I see," Garibaldi replied darkly, "Why don't you guys just leave the cargo vessels alone? They're not hurting anything. They just want to keep using their traditional routes, that's all. Sinclair says he's been receiving a lot of complaints lately. He's been trying to clear things up with your gracious brother, but so far no luck."

"That is why I am here, Garibaldi," Ni'Kar explained, "I have been running into many cargo vessels—Human, Drazi, Pak'ma'ra, Brakiri, Abbai—and they are all challenging the boundaries. In the zone that I have been patrolling, it is mostly the Humans of the Io Colony that I meet. I was hoping to speak to G'Kar to find a peaceful solution to this problem—I do not want there to be any incidents that might lead to conflict, or even war, between the Narn Regime and other governments. G'Kar, however, is busy with other important matters. He has agreed to give me some time with him at the supper hour, but I doubt that we will accomplish much. Garibaldi, if you could mention to Commander Sinclair that I am here on the matter of Territorial Incursion, I would be grateful. I could arrange to meet him in the Parkland area of B5."

"Another one of your "unofficial meetings" with Sinclair, huh?" Garibaldi replied, "Are you trying to take over the role of Narn Ambassador from your brother, or are you still operating 'under the radar', so to speak?"

"Garibaldi, you are a very suspicious man," Ni'Kar responded, "You ask questions about every detail."

"I want to know everything that's happening here on B5—it's my job as Chief of Security. So, what I want to know is—what's your job, Ni'Kar? I've heard you being referred to as both 'Councilor Ni'Kar' and 'Commander Ni'Kar'. Which is it? Both?"

Ni'Kar sighed. He liked Garibaldi as a person and as a friend, but he found his compulsive inquisitiveness rather unsettling. It seemed as if the Chief had a paranoid approach to life which led him to mistrust just about everyone he met. Ni'Kar would not have been surprised to learn that Michael Garibaldi had been a Narn in a previous incarnation.

"Garibaldi, you are a pain in the _pwowtyiuu,"_ Ni'Kar told him in a jovial manner, "But because it is you I will answer your question. I am a Councilor of the Fourth Circle and Fleet Commander for the Colonies and Outer Territories. I occupy two roles in one—both military and political. I have governmental authority over matters pertaining to the Narn colonies and bases, and I also command a large section of the forces which watch over them. I do not have absolute authority, of course—we are, at varying degrees, all members of "The Kha'ri", a governmental body which rules Narn and its colonies. We are many voices working together, but some of us are more powerful than others. G'Kar is Third Circle, which means that he is more powerful than I. He is my superior, and I am accountable to him. Within my jurisdiction, however, I do everything I can to ensure peace between the Narn and the Others. I am also an Envoy and am often sent to mediate disputes between Narns and the original inhabitants of any world which we have conquered."

"In other words," Garibaldi muttered in obvious contempt, "You're sent to squash rebellions."

"Yes," Ni'Kar admitted, "But before we use military force, I like to meet with the Leaders of such rebellions and work out our differences peacefully. Some, like the Mhrr'Unik, refuse to negotiate—they want only for us to leave their world. Others, such as the Triars, are peaceful people and welcome the chance to work with the Narn as opposed to making war."

"In other words, you negotiate the terms of their slavery," Garibaldi answered in an accusatory tone.

"I work very hard to give them rights which have been denied them," Ni'Kar explained, his irritation beginning to bubble to the surface, "I do not like the route that my government has taken any more than you do, Mr. Garibaldi. But I work within the system to try to change it...a little at a time. If I do too much, I will be thrown in prison and possibly executed. If I do too little, I become ineffective as an agent of change within the Narn Military. I need to strike a balance in order to save lives. I negotiate with my Regime for the rights of lower-Circle Narns and of the Others in the same manner that I used to negotiate with my Centauri Masters during the Occupation when I was but a pouchling. I used humor to ease the tension between the Masters and my Brood-Family so that the Centauris would not kill my family members. I have been using that humor just as much in my adult life serving the Narn Regime as I did when I served _The Riala_ —our Centauri Masters."

Garibaldi looked at the big Narn doubtfully, but he at least eased up on the questions for the time being.

"Okay, Ni'Kar," Garibaldi conceded, "I'll whisper into Sinclair's ear that you're on B5 and wanting to have a picnic with him in the Parkland area."

"Tell him to bring with him Earth meatballs for the 'picnic'," Ni'Kar called out to Garibaldi's back as the Security Chief turned to leave. Garibaldi said nothing, but he did raise his hand to acknowledge Ni'Kar's request.


	3. A Picnic in the Park

6

 _ **Chapter Three: A Picnic in the Park**_

Ni'Kar sat on a bench, surrounded by bushes, small trees, and other Human-grown vegetation which had been planted and arranged into a large "green space" for staff and visitors alike to enjoy the feeling of a simulated "outdoor" surrounding. It did not compare with the real-life outdoor worlds belonging to the various species on Babylon 5, but it was nonetheless pleasant.

Much of the vegetation on Narn had been stripped from the planet by the Centauri conquerors some one hundred and fifty years ago, and so for Ni'Kar this oasis of green was almost like paradise. He could have sat basking in its peaceful atmosphere for hours and hours, but he was not to be given that luxury.

Commander Jeffrey Sinclair arrived not long after Ni'Kar had sat down. He had brought along a couple of boxes containing something that smelled deliciously like Earth meatballs—specifically, _Swedish Meatballs,_ as the Earth people called them. Narns called them _Earthballs,_ and they were a rare delicacy on his world.

"Councilor Ni'Kar," Sinclair greeted him as the big Narn stood up and put two clenched fists to his chest in a gesture of greeting and respect for the Commander of Babylon 5, "Garibaldi gave me your message. I have the meatballs...and I understand you wish to discuss territorial incursion by the various cargo vessels from Human colonies and from the member races of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. I have just come from a meeting where we were discussing this very issue—the League is not pleased with the way your people have been conducting business."

"No, Commander," Ni'Kar conceded, "We have not conducted ourselves kindly at all...we do not share our territories very well with Others. I have been advising the cargo Captains to respect the boundaries for their own safety, and I have not objected when they have chosen to file protests with the Narn government. Most of them do not, out of fear of reprisal. The few who have are all Human."

"My people don't like their traditional trade routes being taken away from them, Councilor Ni'Kar, and I can't say I blame them. There must be some kind of compromise that we can all reach. Is it at all possible for you to convince G'Kar of the benefits of cooperating with the rest of us?"

"My little brother G'Kar is not a bad Narn, Commander Sinclair," Ni'Kar commented, "But he _is_ stubborn. He is afraid of looking weak, because he thinks it will invite conquerors to our world. Everything he does, as bad as it is, is done with the idea that it will help the Narn to be a "strong" race, so that we will never again be occupied by invading forces. He does not understand that everything that he does to increase military aggression will eventually insure that Narn and its colonies _will_ be invaded by alien forces! When people become angry enough, when they are so fed up with being bullied by us, they will form an alliance against us and where will we be then? Under the boot of an alien oppressor, once again! G'Kar and others in the Kha'ri are taking us in the wrong direction, Commander. We must consolidate what we have and negotiate the rights of the people under our Regime as well as respecting those of the people outside our influence. If our youth are to have any future at all, we must find peaceful solutions to these kinds of disputes between our peoples."

"I completely agree, Councilor," Sinclair said, handing him one box of meatballs while he took the other, "But whatever his reasons, G'Kar still refuses to cooperate. On this issue, he is alienating everyone on the Advisory Council and in the League. I'm afraid that your _little brother_ has grown up to become quite power-hungry."

"I know, I know," Ni'Kar muttered as he wolfed down the meatballs in a ravenous fashion, "I have tried to talk to him many times, but he does not listen. If you could get the others to agree to respect the boundaries, I might have better luck in my discussions with him. I will be having supper with him later tonight, and I would be in a stronger position if he knew that the different races would agree to respect our rules. Then, I could begin to shame him into being more generous. I could use passages from our Holy Book, _The Book of G'Quan,_ which encourage fairness towards adversaries."

Sinclair ate his meatballs in a decidedly slower and more delicate manner than Ni'Kar had, and as a result he was still enjoying them long after the Narn had finished all of his. He envied Sinclair's restraint, wishing that he and his people were better at using reason to temper their instinctual impulses. The Narns were, however, what they were. No amount of reason was going to tame them. They would instead need Sinclair's voice of reason to convince the others to do as the Regime wanted.

"Councilor," Sinclair finally responded after a long pause, "You have to understand that I would be asking the others to give up trade routes that they have used for a very long time, some for centuries. Would the Narn Regime be willing to give up these kinds of traditional trade routes?"

"No," Ni'Kar admitted, "But I am telling you what I need to give G'Kar before I can convince him."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth when the subject of conversation marched into their presence, indignant.

"Commander Sinclair!" G'Kar called out, as if summoning an underling for roll call, "What is this? Another illegitimate meeting with my brother the _Fourth Circle Councilor_? Ni'Kar, I am disappointed in you. _I_ am the Ambassador to Babylon 5, _not_ you. I ought to have you whipped for insubordination! The only reason I do not is because you are my elder brother. But I warn you, do not push me past my breaking point! You will regret it."

 _"Ambassador G'Kar!"_ Sinclair greeted the angry Narn as if he had been offering them Earth roses, "So kind of you to join us for our Personal Picnic in the Park. Your elder brother and I were just getting re-acquainted."

"Yes, I'm sure you were, Commander," G'Kar growled, "But I was not informed about this... _Personal Picnic in the Park,_ as you so charmingly put it."

"I'm sorry, Ambassador," Sinclair continued in a cheery tone, "Ni'Kar and I didn't think you'd be interested in a game of Touch-Tag or Leap-Frog."

"Enough!" snarled G'Kar, "I have had quite enough of this tomfoolery, Commander. The other races must learn to respect our boundaries, and that is that. There is no negotiation with regard to this issue."

"G'Kar!" Ni'Kar stood up, angry at his brother for his outrageous arrogance, "What has happened to you? Have you forgotten the truths of G'Quan? We must make an attempt to be at least somewhat honorable towards our interplanetary neighbors! Do you and the rest of the Kha'ri really want to alienate Narn from all the other people in this galaxy? This is very short-sighted on your part."

"I warn you, Ni'Kar, do not lecture me about how to conduct myself within my own area of jurisdiction. I am aware of my responsibilities, and keeping our worlds safe must be one of our top priorities."

"And you think you will keep Home-World safe by bullying the other worlds? We have no right to do this, G'Kar...none of us...but we do it anyways!"

"That is true, Ni'Kar. We do it anyways, because if we do not, someone else will do it to us. In order to keep ourselves safe, we must be a strong force in the galaxy."

"We have had this same discussion too many times before, my pouch-brother. We will make ourselves less safe every time we refuse to negotiate or cooperate with the Others. Is that not the reason you are here on Babylon 5—to negotiate with the Others?"

"Nothing like a pissed-off Narn to ruin a good picnic," a voice said from behind them. Ni'Kar knew without looking that it was Garibaldi, the Security Chief.

"Sorry to interrupt, gents," Garibaldi interjected, "But I thought you should know that there are a group of protestors down by the Zocalo. They're protesting Narn incursion into their trading route territories."

"But...it is _our_ territory!" G'Kar exploded.

"Hey, I didn't make up the signs, Ambassador. I just thought that you would want a 'heads-up' about it."

"Thank you, Mr. Garibaldi, for giving us a 'heads-up', as you so quaintly say," G'Kar answered in a slightly less offended tone.

"Oh, wonderful news, Michael," Sinclair said in a mock-dejected tone of voice, "Not that we'd want to have a single quiet day on B5."

"It would get boring," Garibaldi agreed with his superior officer.

"I will go and talk with these protestors," Ni'Kar interjected, "I have often dealt with these kinds of protests against the Narn Regime when I visited the Human colony of Io, to work out a treaty with our own colony, Richilari."

"The Richilari Colony has been re-named the G'Tok Colony, Ni'Kar!" G'Kar corrected his brother, " _Richilari_ was its name when the Centauris occupied it."

"Okay, the G'Tok Colony," Ni'Kar conceded, "But everyone still refers to it as ' _Richilari'_."

Ni'Kar stood up in order to leave. He bowed to Sinclair, giving him the Narn gesture of respect.

"Thank you, Commander, for this _Personal Picnic in the Park_. I am sorry that we did not get the chance to play ' _Touch-Tug'_ and ' _Leap-Frug'._ "

"Touch- _Tag_ and Leap- _Frog_ , Councilor," Sinclair corrected him, returning his bow, "but it's been an honor anyways. And I'm sorry, Ambassador G'Kar...it was thoughtless of us not to invite you. We had a wonderful meal of _Swedish Meatballs."_

"I am not amused, Commander," G'Kar growled, "and I will be accompanying you when you go to speak to these... _protestors,_ Ni'Kar. I feel that I need to keep a closer eye on your activities here."

"And I think I'll tag along, guys," Garibaldi told them, "If you don't mind. I want to make sure that things don't get out of hand."

G'Kar pursed his lips in irritation, following his big white-spotted brother and the ever-annoying Human Security Chief down the path towards the inter-station shuttle; and meanwhile, Commander Sinclair quietly finished his meal of meatballs.


	4. The Protestors

8

 _ **Chapter Four: The Protestors**_

The protestors shouted angrily at G'Kar and Ni'Kar as they approached them. Garibaldi had posted a number of his men in the area to quell any riots before they began.

"We want our trade routes back!" shouted one Human female, "The Narn Regime has gone too far this time!"

"Boo to the Narn Regime!" screeched a short man with a scraggly beard, "Booooo!"

"Boo to you, too!" retorted G'Kar, "Our boundaries are perfectly reasonable!"

"Reasonable for whom, Ambassador?"

Ni'Kar recognized the face and voice of the third protestor as being that of Jonas Rhodes, Captain of the Io Cargo vessel that he had recently dissuaded from trespassing into Narn territory.

"Reasonable from anyone's perspective!" G'Kar shouted back at Rhodes, "Surely you cannot object to boundaries which are designed to keep all of our planetary populations safe!"

"Again, I say, _whose_ planetary populations?" Rhodes persisted, "The Narn trespass into _our_ territories all the time. Why, Councilor Ni'Kar brought his heavy cruiser right into orbit around Io at least four or five times in the last few months!"

"I had your government's permission to visit," Ni'Kar defended himself, "I came only to work out these issues in a peaceful manner. I helped to negotiate the Io-Richilari Treaty."

The Human protestors shouted out obscenities and cat-calls in response to Ni'Kar's statement.

"The Io government sold us out to you bastards!" a man shouted, "Peaceful, my ass, Nikky!You pretend to be a dove of peace, but you're nothing but a big, white-spotted mouthpiece for the Narn Regime. They've got you under their thumb even more than they have us. Well, no more! We're saying ' _No!'_ to Narn territorial incursion!"

The protestors waved placards which read, " _Get lost, Hot-Spot G'Ack! We demand our trade routes back!_ ", " _Narn Barbarians!" and_ " _Shame, shame! The Narn Regime must stop its game!"_

For some reason, Human protestors liked to wave or chant slogans which rhymed. Ni'Kar knew of no other species that did that. At the moment, however, he could tell that the catchy slogans were hardly enchanting his short-tempered brother. G'Kar's temper was reaching the boiling point. Before he could begin shouting back at the protestors, however, Ni'Kar grabbed one of the vendor's boxes and stood on top of it.

"People of Io and others!" he called out, "We hear your complaints and we wish to work with you, not against you! I am calling for an emergency meeting in the Parkland, to be attended by myself and my brother G'Kar. I will ask Commander Sinclair to mediate the discussion."

"Whoa, there, Nelly!" Garibaldi interjected, "You need to ask permission if you're using the Parkland for a meeting. We don't want any violent protests in the Green area."

"And you can't call a meeting on my behalf without _my_ permission!" G'Kar added, "How dare you be so impudent, Ni'Kar!"

Ni'Kar clattered his teeth together in frustration. Did they not want to resolve this issue? Did G'Kar think this would simply go away if he ignored it long enough?

"G'Kar! Please, cooperate," Ni'Kar hissed at him in the Narn language, "We need to resolve this dispute before it becomes a bigger conflict. You don't want to go to war against the Humans, do you?"

"Ni'Kar, you do not know what you are talking about," G'Kar replied haughtily, "If we give in to these protestors, they will think they can manipulate us in other ways."

"And _we_ manipulate no one, eh, G'Kar?"

"I've contacted the Commander," Garibaldi interrupted them, "He'll be here momentarily...hey, here he is now."

Sinclair conferred with Garibaldi privately for a moment before turning his attention to the protest.

"I recommend that we convene in the Council chambers," Sinclair announced to the crowd, "I would like you to pick two or three representatives to join us there tomorrow morning. The League of Non-Aligned Worlds also has complaints about this issue, and I think our time would be more effectively spent talking about this in a structured environment. I'm sorry, Councilor Ni'Kar, but I don't think that the Parkland is the appropriate place for a collective meeting. I would like to invite you to attend the meeting in the Council Chambers, however—at the request of the League."

"Ni'Kar has no authority here on Babylon 5!" G'Kar protested, "It is highly inappropriate for him to attend the meeting."

"I'm sorry, Ambassador, but the League Ambassadors specifically requested your brother's presence. They say they will discuss the issue only with Ni'Kar of the White Spot."

"What!?" cried G'Kar, "But _I_ am the chosen representative of my government!"

The protestors had formed a tight circle around Sinclair, G'Kar, and Ni'Kar. Garibaldi and his men were attempting to break up the circle; and Ni'Kar could tell that Garibaldi did not like the fact that Sinclair was surrounded. The group of mostly Humans did not engage in any violent acts, however. Instead, they began to chant:

 _"Nikky and G'Acky are a no-good team! Let's say 'no' to the Narn Regime!"_

When they had chanted that slogan several times, they switched to:

" _Hey ho! Hey ho! The Narn Regime has got to go!"_

Out of the corner of his eye, Ni'Kar could see a number of Centauris gleefully joining in. They were obviously delighted that their enemies the Narns were being given a public scolding by the Humans.

"You may stay and conduct a peaceful protest, as long as you do not harass anyone," Sinclair told them, "any misconduct and my security team will begin to make arrests. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Jeff," a woman sang out in a mocking tone, "so only two or three of us can go to this exclusive meeting, huh? Sounds like we're going to get shafted again!"

"I have every confidence that we can reach an agreement that works for everyone," Sinclair called out, "I will see you all at 0-eight-hundred tomorrow, in the Council Chambers."

Sinclair left their presence in a dignified manner, leaving the Humans to chant slogans to their hearts' content.

G'Kar motioned to Ni'Kar to follow him, and as they walked away from the protest, they yelled out uncomplimentary names at the two Narns.

 _"Nikky and G'Acky are afraid of us! Run, cowards, run!"_

"We're not afraid," Ni'Kar called back at them, "We'll see you tomorrow morning at the meeting."

"Why do they insist on calling us 'Nikky' and 'G'Acky'?" G'Kar grumbled, "I find their behavior most insulting."

"Well, we have insulted them, G'Kar," Ni'Kar told his younger brother, "We have not respected the fact that our territorial claims include their traditional trade routes."

"I was not the one who negotiated the Io-Richilari Treaty, Ni'Kar—you did," G'Kar retorted, "You have no one to blame but yourself for this mess."

"I do not seek to blame anyone," Ni'Kar responded hotly, "But we do need to take responsibility for our actions, G'Kar. I negotiated the Treaty as best as I could, given that the Higher Circles of our government wanted all of the trading route territories. Captain Jonas Rhodes is right—we have become greedy in the past few years. We want to have everything, but it will not go well for us if we continue along this path, my brother. You must help me to reach a compromise, for the sake of all involved."

"My pouch-brother," G'Kar said to him in a far softer tone than he had been using before, "Let us go and have supper in my quarters. I imagine those meat-balls that you ate with Sinclair did nothing to satisfy your gargantuan appetite."

Ni'Kar grunted in response. He _was_ still hungry, and a meal cooked by G'Kar would be comforting after dealing with those heckling protestors. G'Kar was an exceptional cook, and he usually took the time to prepare a meal for Ni'Kar when he came to Babylon 5. The pair headed eagerly towards the elevator.

As soon as they entered the doors swooshed behind them, leaving them no time to back out. There, in the lift with them, was the Centauri Ambassador, Londo Mollari and his aide, Vir Cotto. The last time Ni'Kar had met Mollari, the Narn attack on Ragesh 3 had made relations with the Centauris and their Ambassador very tense indeed. Mollari's nephew Carn had been taken hostage and forced to say that the Narn Regime had liberated their colony; and that the colonists welcomed the Narn presence. That, of course, had been a great big lie that no one believed. Ni'Kar had not been the one to threaten Carn Mollari, but he had, as one of the Fleet Commanders, participated in the attack _._ He had also arranged for many of the colony's more vulnerable members to be transported to Babylon 5 where they were given a safe haven. Eventually, with the help of Commander Sinclair, the colonists regained their world and the Narns pulled out—to Ni'Kar's relief.

He doubted very much that Londo Mollari had forgotten about the incident. At the present moment, however, one would never know that Mollari held a grudge against Narns. His manner was bright and cheerful, and he was smiling from ear to ear underneath his upper-class fan-tail hair-do.

"Ah, G'Kar!" he greeted the Narn Ambassador in a tauntingly jovial fashion, "You've brought in your white-spotted brother to help you negotiate with the poor protestors that you have both been pushing around! It has been most entertaining for us to watch the Humans stand up to you barbarians. I have sent along a few Centauris to help in their noble efforts—very imaginative rhymes these people come up with! And the names they've given you—'Nikky' and 'G'Acky', yes? Marvelous! I think I will call both of you by those names in order to stand in solidarity with...well, just about everyone, I think, has been affected by your latest attempts to grab territory that does not belong to you..."

" _Enough, Mollari!"_ G'Kar snarled menacingly, "We are going to work these problems out tomorrow in the Council Chambers."

"Ah, yes, I am looking forward to witnessing your embarrassment as you are cast aside by the League of Non-Aligned Worlds in favor of your more docile brother..."

 _"Londo!"_ Vir Cotto whispered to his superior, "Let's not provoke G'Kar today...please, I beg you!"

"Londo Mollari," Ni'Kar broke in to the conversation, using the same calming tone that he once used as a pouchling when he was dealing with an offended Centauri master, "I am here to help G'Kar, not to embarrass him. We must all work together in order to find solutions—perhaps you could bring some suggestions tomorrow on what can be done to solve the problems."

"Suggestions, my dear Ni'Kar? Ah, how about this one—let's banish all Narns from the galaxy for eternity! That would be my number one suggestion."

"You need not attend the meeting, Ambassador," G'Kar told the Centauri frostily, "Since it really does not affect Centauri interests."

"Oh, but it does, my precious colleague," Londo replied darkly, "When your barbarism affects my friends the Humans, it affects me and my world. I intend to make things as unpleasant as I can for you so that the League and the Humans will demand that the representative of the Narn Regime be banished from the Council Chambers until he is willing to behave in a more civilized fashion—which will undoubtedly be _never_."

Londo's attaché Vir Cotto and Ni'Kar looked at each other with pained expressions on their faces as the two Ambassadors launched into yet another one of their volatile arguments.


	5. The Night Before the Council Meeting

11

 _ **Chapter Five: The Night Before the Council Meeting**_

The two Narn brothers sat in their prayer robes, quietly contemplating _The Book of G'Quan._ G'Quan was one of their holy prophets, and a large majority of Narns followed the G'Quanist religion. G'Kar had lit a candle after supper so that they could share time together in a peaceful atmosphere.

G'Kar read from a passage of the book, which spoke of the need to treat all beings with honor. Ni'Kar knew that G'Kar would interpret the passage to mean that they should treat all _Narns_ with honor, but the passage did not specify Narns. It very clearly said _all beings._ He did not want to get into a religious argument with his brother tonight, however—there would be time enough for argument tomorrow at the meeting.

Both of them intoned the Blessing of G'Quan several times, beginning loudly and ending quietly. They sat in silence for awhile after that. Ni'Kar had emptied his mind of thoughts—almost. Every time he felt as though he were going into a meditative state, the sound of the protestors' chants would play inside his mind: " _Nikky and G'Acky are a no-good team, let's say 'no' to the Narn Regime!"_

Ni'Kar wished that _he_ could say 'no' to the Narn Regime, but unfortunately he was too deeply involved in the Narn Military and the Narn government to opt out of it. He had joined the Military at age seventeen, not long after the last Centauri vessel had departed from their world, driven off by a bitter Resistance movement. Ni'Kar had not joined the Resistance as his younger brother _Rai'ko ("Hot-Tempered One")_ had done. It had been necessary for him to take care of his remaining Brood members after his father G'Quarn had been executed by a vengeful Centauri Master. After their father's death, little Rai'ko had declared his name to be G'Kar and had escaped after killing a Centauri servant—an act of revenge for the murder of G'Quarn. _Lor'oko_ (" _White-spotted One_ "), as Ni'Kar was known at that time, was forced to contend with a suspicious and bitter Master. He had needed to hone his diplomatic skills early in order for his family not to be killed in those last horrible days of the Centauri Occupation of Narn.

After the Centauris had left, however, all those who had not joined the Resistance were pressured into joining the new military program in order to "redeem" themselves and prove their loyalty to the Narn Regime. The young Lor'oko had chosen his adult name—Ni'Kar—and had thrown himself into the world of the military. It was not a life he enjoyed, but he felt that he had no choice—then or now.

His younger brother G'Kar/Rai'ko had always been ahead of him in terms of rank. Even when Ni'Kar was a seventeen-year-old cadet, his then twelve-year-old brother was put in charge of training him and the new cadets in fighting techniques. The boys' uncle, G'Sten, had always favored G'Kar and he had seen to it that G'Kar rose through the ranks rapidly. Ni'Kar had always felt that G'Sten pushed G'Kar too hard, and had put him in a position of authority at too young an age. G'Sten had always been impressed by the fact that G'Kar had joined the Resistance as a very young child. When the Narns had succeeded in pushing the Centauris out of the main city of G'kamazad, G'Sten had proudly hoisted the young G'Kar up onto his shoulders and had shouted to the others that this courageous boy represented the future of a free Narn. Young G'Kar had become an instant hero, and he was soon catapulted into the highest ranks of the Resistance.

Ni'Kar, on the other hand, had been a slow convert to the new Regime. He had joined the Military partly out of shame for not having fought for Narn's freedom as his younger sibling G'Kar had done. G'Sten had always criticized him for having " _no stomach for war_ ". He supposed that his uncle was right. Ni'Kar had always hated killing and bloodshed, and he had done what he could to prevent it in all of his later positions in life. He finally began to win some respect as an older adult, as many people responded to his honorable ways of handling situations. " _Ni'Kar of the White Spot_ " was known on Narn as one who stood up for the rights of those who had been left behind by society.

And now, here he was, in the role of the reluctant oppressor once again. He wished that he could force G'Kar into offering the Cargo Captains and others a better deal. He opened one eye to see what G'Kar was doing. He appeared to be in a deep state of meditation, with his eyes closed and his body motionless yet erect in its cross-legged position.

Ni'Kar, on the other hand, could not convince his mind to settle down. He knew also that once G'Kar had entered his trance-like prayer-state, he could remain in it for hours. Truly, it was the best thing for the high-strung diplomat to do, especially the night before a stressful Council Meeting.

Ni'Kar decided to get up and go for a walk, as he was making no progress in his own meditation. His legs were falling asleep and he needed to stretch his muscles. He stood carefully, making sure that he did not disturb G'Kar as he tip-toed out the door. He brought a tunic to put over his robe so that his leathery reptilian chest would not be visible. Narns were not fully of the "reptilian" order, although they appeared to be so. The Narn males had pouches which held the young Narn "pouchlings" after the female had given birth to them. Because of this feature, Narns were generally regarded as marsupials.

Ni'Kar realized that to other beings such as the Humans or the Centauri, the Narns looked very strange. They had large heads which were covered by various spot arrays, usually black, instead of having hair. They also had claws on their fingers which could be retracted and which many Narns kept hidden underneath military gloves.

Ni'Kar was an exceptionally large Narn, and was even taller than G'Kar. He was also more heavy-set than his brother, which many people found intimidating. This fearsome feature was offset somewhat by Ni'Kar's dark brown eyes. The large majority of Narns had red eyes, like G'Kar, but there was a sub-group of the Narn known as " _Black-Eyes_ ". The so-called " _Black-Eyes_ " actually had eye colors ranging from light hazel to dark-brown, and they were known by the Centauris to be less aggressive in their outlook on life.

Ni'Kar's brown eyes had helped him to win the trust of many a Centauri overlord in the days of the Occupation, and his white spots had made him a conversation-piece at the Mistress's Garden Parties. The Mistress had often brought young _Lor'oko_ out to entertain the children and ladies with his singing, dancing, and slapstick humor routines. His younger brother had always hated to see him doing this, for he felt that it humiliated not only him but every Narn on the planet.

G'Kar and he were half-brothers who had shared the same pouch-father but who each had been birthed by different mothers. Still, they were as close as full brothers, for their beloved father G'Quarn had pouched and helped to raise both of them. G'Kar's mother, Na'Laq, and Ni'Kar's mother, Ni'Lon, had been such close friends that they considered each other as Brood-Sisters; and after G'Quarn had been killed, Ni'Lon had helped to nurse the ailing Na'Laq until her death a few months later. Although G'Kar's mother Na'Laq had not lived to see Narn become a free world, Ni'Kar's mother Ni'Lon did. Ni'Lon had the same white spots as her son, and she was still alive today—although her spots had turned rather gray with old age. Ni'Lon had always loved G'Kar as deeply as her own son, and had heartily celebrated his accomplishments within the military and the government. There were times, Ni'Kar thought ruefully, that it seemed as though Ni'Lon loved G'Kar more than she loved him.

" _Don't be ridiculous, foolish Lor'oko_!" his mother would say in an offended tone whenever he asked her about it, "I love you and Sister Na'Laq's _G'Kar-Rai'ko_ as though you were both one Narn."

Indeed, Ni'Kar wondered sometimes if he and his brother were two sides of the same coin. G'Kar favored military aggression as a means to keep Narn and its innocent children safe while Ni'Kar favored peace for the same reason. They both argued strenuously against the other time and again, but they never seemed able to arrive at an agreement.

As he walked out of the Ambassadorial wing, he wondered if it might be possible to catch the last part of the "A.A" meeting. Maybe he would even have a chance to see Garibaldi. Ni'Kar liked to talk to Garibaldi whenever he was on Babylon 5; he found the Human's sardonic but honest outlook on life to be a welcome change from some of the blustery propaganda that he continually heard from the Regime's Military Leaders.

He made his way to the area where the meetings were usually held. When he arrived, it appeared that he was too late. A number of people were headed out the door, including a man Ni'Kar had met at the last meeting—a Human named Jack.

"Jack," he greeted the man, "it seems I have missed the meeting."

"There's another one tomorrow mornin', Nikky."

Ni'Kar had been given the nickname "Nikky" at the A.A. meeting because people there—mostly Humans—only called each other by their first names; and because Ni'Kar had only one name as far as the Humans knew, they decided to join the prefix "Ni" with a "kie" sound. "Nikky" had agreed to it, and the name had stuck. Obviously, though, it had been shared outside of the meeting because the protestors certainly seemed to know it.

"I will be at a Council Meeting tomorrow morning, Jack."

"Yeah, I know—so will I. Jonas Rhodes and I are the reps for it. Us, and a lady named Cheryl. Sure hope we can come up with a compromise—my shipping business is being affected by these new Narn boundaries."

"Yes," Ni'Kar agreed, embarrassed, "I am sorry that my government is causing such unnecessary problems for you and the others."

"Well, that makes two of us," Jack told him, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow mornin', Nikky."

Ni'Kar was surprised that Jack had behaved in such a civil manner towards him, considering that his shipping business was being affected. He had not seen the Human among the protestors, but perhaps he had been at the back of the crowd.

After Jack had left, another familiar face exited the meeting room.

"Garibaldi!" Ni'Kar greeted him, "I am too late for the meeting. And the one tomorrow is at the same time as the Council Meeting—Jack is going to it, as well."

"Yeah, I know—he told us," Garibaldi replied, "maybe it's better that you don't go to the A.A. meetings until this thing gets cleared up, Ni'Kar. Jack is fine, but some of the others that are affected by this trade route business are having a hard time maintaining their sobriety because of it. Some of them are kind of pissed at you."

"I cannot blame them, Garibaldi, for this problem is so easy to solve. We could just widen the neutral zone to include the trade routes. It would not even be giving anything up for the Narn Regime—only empty space."

"That's why they're so pissed, Ni'Kar. They feel like you guys are only doing this as a display of your power."

"We are," Ni'Kar admitted, "and I know it is stupid. I want to change this, Garibaldi, but my power is limited."

"But aren't you the Fleet Commander for the Colonies and Outer Territories, or some damn thing? That must give you some authority over this."

"Some," Ni'Kar conceded, "but not enough. I am already trespassing on G'Kar's territory by being here and having spoken to Sinclair. And the other races—I am very surprised that they asked for me to negotiate with them."

"Well, you've been developing quite a reputation around here," Garibaldi told him, "All the League Ambassadors seem to think you're the next best thing to a saint."

Ni'Kar sighed. He was not quite sure what a "saint" was, but he supposed that it meant a hero of some kind. That would not make things easy with G'Kar. He ran his hand over his spotted cranium as he walked down the corridor with Garibaldi.

Suddenly, there was a raucous jeering from around the corner. A scraggly group of Human men appeared, armed with metal rods. They appeared to be quite drunk.

"Hey, there's the White-Spotted Alligator now! Let's get 'im, boys! Chaaaarge!"

The men staggered towards Ni'Kar, but Garibaldi was in front of the big Narn in a nanosecond.

"Take one more step, Barrett, and you're a dead man," he called out to the leader of the pack as he pointed a weapon at him. Ni'Kar treated them to a low-throated growl in order to supplement Garibaldi's threat.

The men stopped their approach, backing up slightly.

"Whose side you on, Garry-Baldy?" Barrett asked, his words slurred together in an alcoholic haze, "You on Nikky's side—the Baldy? May-be w-we should call you 'Nikky-Baldy' instead."

"I'm not laughin', Barry," Garibaldi told the drunkard, "I want you all to put down those rods... _now."_

A team of security guards rounded the corner, and the men dropped their make-shift weapons, scattering like leaves in the wind.

"I think you better spend the night with your brother, Ni'Kar," Garibaldi said to him, "There's more security on the Ambassadorial Wing than in the Guest Suites. This trade route thing is becoming one major pain in the ass."

Garibaldi paused to give instructions to his staff before pocketing his weapon and turning his attention back to Ni'Kar.

"I'll escort you back to G'Kar's," he told the Narn, "maybe this latest incident will help you to convince that hard-headed python to loosen up those boundary lines."

Garibaldi walked with Ni'Kar back to the Ambassadorial Wing, and as they drew close, they saw a group of protestors gathered at the entrance. Garibaldi swore softly, and spoke into the communication device that was attached to the top of his hand.

"Get a team over to the Ambassadorial Wing, Zack."

" _Nicky and G'Acky are a no-good team—let's say 'no' to the Narn Regime!"_ the protestors chanted.

"Sorry, people," Garibaldi called out to them, "but you can't protest here. This is the residential area for the Ambassadors. You can go and protest back at the Zocalo, or you can spend the night in a B5 prison cell."

" _Boo to the B5 Squash-Squad!"_ called a man, " _Boooo!"_

"Yeah, well it's a little early for Hallowe'en, guy," Garibaldi retorted, annoyed.

The protestors all sat down in front of the entrance to the Ambassadorial Wing, blocking Ni'Kar from going inside.

" _Hey ho, hey ho, the Narn Regime has got to go! Booooo! To Nikky and G'Acky, our Boo has been sent! Boooo, B5 Squash-Squad for squishing dissent!"_

"Maybe I should get a guest suite for tonight, Garibaldi," Ni'Kar said to him, "I don't want you to have to arrest peaceful protestors."

"I hate bad poetry, and their rhymes are pissing me off," Garibaldi countered, "Plus—no one says ' _Boo'_ to my team and gets away with it!"

Before long, another group of security personnel arrived. Garibaldi ordered them to arrest the protestors, and the team began to carry them off in a still-sitting position. Ni'Kar had never seen anything quite like it. He supposed that this was what the Humans called passive resistance—it was non-violent, but effectively caused problems for the "powers-that-be", which unfortunately included himself and G'Kar.

As the protestors were being arrested, they continued to chant their rhymes.

"Excuse me, Councilor Ni'Kar!" a voice called to him.

Ni'Kar turned around to see a female ISN news reporter beside him, pointing a microphone towards his mouth. He felt his stomach churn. Surely they were not going to interview him in his prayer robes?

"I...yes?" he answered lamely.

"Councilor Ni'Kar, Katie Rutherford, ISN news," she introduced herself crisply, "How do you respond to Senator Marion Glass's denunciation of the Narn Regime's stand on this trade-route issue?"

" _Shame, shame! The Narn Regime must stop its game!"_ the protestors chanted in the background, as the small floating news cameras shot pictures of Garibaldi and his team arresting them, " _Get lost, Hot-Spot G'Ack! We demand our trade routes back!"_

Ni'Kar's mind went absolutely blank, and he began to feel a wave of panic arising within him.

"I...uh..." he stammered, unsure of what to say, "I..."

" _Nikky and G'Acky are a no-good team! Let's say 'no' to the Narn Regime!"_ chanted the protestors as they were carried off.

"Do you have a response to Senator Glass's statement, Councilor Ni'Kar?" Katie Rutherford repeated her question.

"Uhhhh... _Yes, yes, Senator Glass..."_ Ni'Kar spoke into the microphone, "... _I'm a Narn, so_ _whack my ass,"_ he finished off his statement to the galaxy-wide broadcasted Interstellar Network. Ni'Kar then dashed into the safety of the Ambassadorial Wing as Garibaldi and his team carried the last protestor away.


	6. The Book of G'Quan

8

 _ **Chapter Six: The Book of G'Quan**_

 _ **"Yes, yes, Senator Glass—I'm a Narn so whack my ass?!"**_ G'Kar shouted at his brother, stunned by the morning news, "Why in the name of G'Quan did you say such a thing, Ni'Kar? It is totally inappropriate!"

"I...my mind just went blank, G'Kar, when the Human female brought out her floating cameras and her microphone," Ni'Kar explained, "I experienced another one of those panicky feelings that I get whenever I have to make a speech in front of _The Kha'ri."_

"Ni'Kar, that is ridiculous," G'Kar upbraided him, "You must get that problem of yours under control. You and I have calmly faced whole flotillas of Centauri war ships; and you're telling me that you're afraid of a female with a microphone?"

"I know it makes no sense, brother," he replied as he threw off his bath towel and dressed himself, "I don't know how to control it, because I never know when I'm going to feel it. I could make a big speech in front of the Council today and be fine—or, I could freeze up and not know what to say. When that happens, I can't think of any words, especially not in an alien language. That is what happened to me in front of the cameras last night. I uttered the first words to come into my head, because there were no others...and I knew of no other rhymes."

" _You_ don't need to speak in rhymes, Ni'Kar! Leave that to those idiotic protestors!" G'Kar bellowed, "If you _were_ going to use that particular phrase, you should have said, " _I'm a Narn so kiss my pwowtyiuu"._ That would at least have been less embarrassing to the Regime!"

"That would have meant that I was insulting Senator Glass and the Humans," Ni'Kar objected, "At least if I say " _whack my_ _pwowtyiuu"_ I am giving them the benefit of punishing us."

"We don't _want_ them punishing us, Ni'Kar! Let's not give them the idea that they should even attempt it. I had better not see any protestors armed with whips when we go out to the Council Chambers today—or _you_ will be the one taking the lashes."

Ni'Kar put his head in his hands. This entire dilemma had turned into a complete mess. The protestors were out to get them, the League only wanted to deal with him, a mere Fourth Circle Councilor, as opposed to the duly appointed representative of the Narn Regime; and now he had made things worse by embarrassing the Regime with his thoughtless comment to the reporter.

"G'Kar!" he yelled through the bathroom door as his brother went in to take his morning shower, "We can end this thing if you will make allowances for the Cargo Captains to retain their routes—widen the area of neutrality. It will cost the Regime nothing, and it will divest us of a major headache!"

"We must not appear weak, Ni'Kar," G'Kar called from his shower stall, "You know that. Others must learn to revere us. _We_ are the Great Conquerors now, not the Centauris."

Ni'Kar groaned in frustration. He did not understand how a Narn as intelligent and religious as G'Kar could be so morally and spiritually blind. G'Kar had always had a remarkable facility for learning languages—he spoke dozens and dozens of alien languages fluently, not to mention many Narn languages and dialects. Why then was he so opposed to showing some diplomacy and working with people instead of against them?

It seemed as if being part of a government that held great power over others had changed his brother, and it caused Ni'Kar deep sadness. It should not have been surprising that G'Kar had fallen to the temptation of sacrificing honor for power; but at a purely emotional level, Ni'Kar still wanted to believe in G'Kar. He needed to think that his little brother had retained something of the love that G'Quarn had taught to them both before he died. He had always known that G'Kar's innocence, like Ni'Kar's, had died when their father was executed by the Centauri Master. Ni'Kar never knew what happened to the young G'Kar, however, during the very early years that he was with the Resistance. How many Centauris had he been forced to kill after his first terrible murder of their Master's Centauri servant? G'Kar had only been ten years old when he performed that dreadful act on a man who had done nothing to injure any of them; and that particular Centauri had been a servant just like they were.

Ni'Kar pulled his mind away from the past. It was too painful to have to contemplate for more than a few minutes. Still, he knew that if the people of Narn were to have any chance at long-term survival, people like he and G'Kar needed to come to terms with their hatred of the Centauri. Ni'Kar did not particularly hate the Centauri so much, but rather it was what they had done to his people that he hated. He also hated himself for having believed them when they told him that he and his people were inferior.

It seemed to him that he, and the other Narns, had changed who they were in order to become like the Centauri. Too many Narns had believed the lie that they were of no worth unless they were dominating others. And so, they had become what they hated.

Ni'Kar sat on the floor and put his head in his hands. The younger Narns only knew this militaristic culture that his generation had taught them. They had not been mistreated by the Centauri, and so the higher-class young people did not have any idea what it was like to be under the boot of another. Too many of the higher-class Narnish youth were spoiled and believed that they had a right to lord it over not only other Narns but other races of people as well. In fact, they had become like the cruel Centauri youth of the Occupation, who used to delight in bullying the Narns while Ni'Kar was growing up. He hated to admit it, but he and his generation had created a group of monsters, and it frightened him.

When he thought of his five-year-old son, Ni'Ko, he wanted to scream at the Universe to stop the madness so that his pouchling could have a chance to grow up to be a decent being. As his mind raced through all the terrible things that could happen to his family, he finally realized that he needed to talk to his wife, Tre'a. He went over to the comm screen and made several attempts to open an interstellar transmission through the Station's communication channel.

Finally, he was rewarded by his wife's beautiful violet-eyed face. She cocked her head and signed a greeting to him. Tre'a did not hear well, and so she communicated mainly through Narn sign language.

"My husband," she said, "You appear troubled. What is the matter?"

"Tre'a, my dear," Ni'Kar signed back to her, "I needed to see your face before I go to the Council Meeting this morning. We are dealing with the issue of trade-routes that I was telling you about the last time we spoke—we desperately need to restore the routes back to the travelers as a matter of honor. If we do not, I fear that this will be yet another fateful step towards our eventual annihilation as a people. I cannot convince G'Kar that we need to be generous and maintain good relations with our interstellar neighbors."

Tre'a paused for a moment as she closed her oddly-colored eyes. Ni'Kar knew of no other Narn who had violet eyes—indeed, he knew of no other Narn who possessed the wisdom and beauty of his wife. Truly, he felt that he did not deserve her, but she had never believed that and had always supported him through every problem which arose for their family and their society.

"Ni'Kar," Tre'a finally responded, "G'Kar respects the word of G'Quan. Show him the fifth passage in Chapter Five. Remind him about the Honor of the Ancients. He cannot deny the call to be just towards the strangers who seek passage through the Holy City of G'kamazad."

"I can try, my love," Ni'Kar replied, "although I do not think it will do any good. G'Kar will say that the passage only applies to Narns, and not to Humans or Drazis or Brakiri or Pak'ma'ra or Abbai."

There was a commotion from behind Tre'a as their little son Ni'Ko jumped forward to see his father.

"R'Kai Ni'Kar!" he cried, "When will you be coming home? I want to hear the stories about your adventures in space!"

"Soon, my boy," Ni'Kar answered in the language of voice, "I and your Uncle G'Kar must settle a dispute between the Narn and our neighbors."

"Will you and Uncle G'Kar be fighting in a war?" Ni'Ko asked eagerly, "My friend No'mo says that his father has been fighting the Mhrr'Unik! Who are you fighting?"

"At present, we are fighting no one, Ni'Ko," Ni'Kar told his son, "and I wish to keep it that way. We need to make peace, not war! No'mo's father does not like the fighting on Mhrr'Unik and hopes to find a way to stop it. Remember what I told you, son."

"We have to find a way to work things out without killing," Ni'Ko repeated his father's words to him, "or the Narn will not survive."

"That's right," Ni'Kar agreed.

Like most Narns, Ni'Kar did not believe in shielding his children from the truth. They needed to know from an early age what they would be facing as they grew older. Although he dreaded the thought of little Ni'Ko losing his innocence, he knew that it was inevitable for a child of the Narn Regime.

G'Kar emerged from the bathroom with a robe on.

"Ah, Ni'Ko!" he called out to the screen, at the same time as he signed a greeting to Tre'a.

"Ni'Kar has a passage from the Book of G'Quan that he wishes to show you, Brood-brother G'Kar," Tre'a signed back.

G'Kar did not have a chance to respond to Tre'a's reading suggestion, as Ni'Ko was hooting and chirping at the top of his voice when he saw his favorite hero, Uncle G'Kar.

"Will you tell me another story about the Resistance, Uncle?" he asked excitedly.

"Not at the moment, my nephew," G'Kar said to the disappointed pouchling, "Your father and I must now go to an important meeting. I will contact you some time next week and we can have another story session together—if you will agree, Ni'Kar?"

"Yes, brother," he agreed, "You tell him a story of war, and I will tell him one of peace—such as how we will resolve this trade-route dispute, for the good of Ni'Ko's future? And that of all the other little pouchlings in the Universe, for that matter."

G'Kar made a face at Ni'Kar, but he gave Ni'Ko a conspiratorial look which suggested that he had a fabulous war story up his sleeve for the next time. Little Ni'Ko clattered his teeth together in anticipation.

"And can I speak to _Garrrr-a-ball-dee_ the Human the next time, R'Kai Ni'Kar?" Ni'Ko asked.

Ni'Kar gestured in the affirmative, and they all delivered quick good-byes. Ni'Ko could go on for hours with his questions and requests for stories, and they both knew that it was time to move in the direction of the Council Chambers. Ni'Kar hated to cut his conversation with Tre'a off, but the couple had become accustomed to short, long-distance communications when Ni'Kar was away on business for the Regime.

G'Kar pulled on his clothes hastily as Ni'Kar thumbed through his brother's copy of the Book of G'Quan, trying to find the passage that Tre'a had suggested. He quickly read over the fifth passage in the fifth chapter, considering its message and trying to relate it to their current dilemma.

"Come, Ni'Kar, let us go," G'Kar said to him, pulling on his gloves and exiting the door, "we will read from the Book of G'Quan when we return from the Meeting."

Ni'Kar hesitated for a moment before taking The Book and tucking it under his arm. He placed his cape over it in order to hide its holy presence until it was needed; and then he hurried down the corridor after his brother, the Ambassador.


	7. Tensions

13

 _ **Chapter Seven: Tensions**_

Garibaldi met G'Kar and Ni'Kar at the door to the Ambassadorial Wing in order to escort them to the Council Chambers.

"Do we really need an escort, Mr. Garibaldi?" asked G'Kar impatiently, "I thought that you had arrested the protestors."

"We did—but they're out again, and in full force. In fact, they've brought out reinforcements. They now have Drazi, Brakiri, Pak'ma'ra, Abbai, Centauri, and even a few Narn protestors joining them. We're going to have to put the station on lock-down if this gets any worse. We're recommending that no Narns go out without a security escort."

"It has become that bad, Garibaldi?" Ni'Kar asked.

He was secretly pleased that the Humans had managed to inspire the other groups of people to protest the Narns' space-hogging ways. He hoped fervently, however, that the demonstration would not turn violent.

"'Fraid so, guys," Garibaldi replied tersely as he led them past crowds of people holding placards or sitting down at the edges of the guard-filled corridors. They seemed to have abandoned their annoying rhymes and heckling in favor of a more dignified stance, Ni'Kar was relieved to observe. The signs that they held were nonetheless challenging and most uncomplimentary towards the Narn Regime. Some of the written messages, to their surprise, encouraged the Narn government and its adherents to "do the right thing" and "loosen your grip on our trade routes". It seemed as though something or someone had convinced the protestors to change tactics. They were a far more serious presence now that their silly " _Boos_ " and slogans were gone. Ni'Kar would not have been surprised to learn that the night in prison that some of them had endured, together with Garibaldi's no-nonsense approach, had inspired them to improve their act. The result was a far more mature, and therefore a more powerful demonstration.

The protestors were silent as Garibaldi, G'Kar, and Ni'Kar walked down the corridor towards the Council Chambers. Ni'Kar tried valiantly not to avert his eyes from their accusatory stares, but he found it impossible not to lower his gaze in shame. G'Kar, on the other hand, stared proudly ahead of himself, flatly refusing all attempts at shaming.

It was an uncomfortable walk, and Ni'Kar was relieved when they finally reached the Council Chambers. His relief, unfortunately, was only temporary, as now they were obliged to face the Council and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. The Council was made up of Commander Sinclair of the Earth Alliance, Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari Federation, G'Kar of the Narn Regime, Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic, and Ambassador Kosh Naranek of the Vorlon Empire. Today, however, G'Kar was facing them rather than sitting with them; and the Vorlon Ambassador was, as usual, absent. Ni'Kar suspected that the ancient Vorlons had little patience for the younger races' childish squabbles, but this was only supposition on his part. At any rate, the three remaining Council members made for an intimidating presence indeed. They were seated like two kings and a queen at an elegant table, facing them directly and, it seemed to Ni'Kar, wearing judgmental expressions on their faces. The image of a big silver sun or star decorated the wall behind them, giving them an almost god-like presence.

The members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds sat off to one side in their own section, giving the impression that the League was only of secondary importance—or so it seemed to Ni'Kar. He had rarely been in the Council Chambers, except as an observer, and certainly not under circumstances such as this.

Garibaldi went back outside, wishing them "good luck—you're going to need it!" in a low voice as he departed. Ni'Kar wished that he could grab Garibaldi and bring him back inside in order to stand with himself and G'Kar, but he knew that would appear foolish and under-confident to the others.

As they stared back at the Council members, it became evident that the Council and the League had been talking in depth—long before G'Kar and he had arrived.

 _"What is the meaning of this?"_ G'Kar asked, infuriated, " _The Advisory Council_ _has begun its deliberations without us?"_

"I apologize, Ambassador," Sinclair addressed the irate Narn, "but we needed to discuss a few things before you arrived here."

" _Such as?"_ G'Kar queried in an angry tone.

In answer, the Minbari Ambassador, Delenn, stood up. A grey bone-casing enveloped her head, as was the norm for all Minbaris. Ni'Kar was not as familiar with this group of people as he was with others. He knew only that they were an honorable people with a strong spiritual knowledge; and that they had been at war with the Humans ten years earlier before mysteriously surrendering to their technologically inferior enemies as opposed to destroying them.

"Ambassador G'Kar," she said, "and Councilor Ni'Kar. Your unreasonable stance on this issue has forced us to take bold action. If you insist on including traditionally used and heavily trafficked trade routes as a part of your territorial claims on behalf of the Narn Regime alone, we have decided that we will all unite to respond in kind. The Minbari Federation will not allow any Narn ships, whether commercial, passenger, on military, to operate within the boundaries and the neutral zone which separates Minbari from Narn territory. We will also lend some of our ships to patrol the main routes, which all the other people use to transport their goods back and forth. We are prepared to use force to back up these claims. You will not intimidate, bully, or attack any ships using these routes, and you defy us at your own peril. If you are caught engaging in these acts, you will be expelled from the privilege of using these routes yourselves."

G'Kar stared at Delenn, aghast.

"But...Ambassador Delenn!" G'Kar exclaimed, "You would deny access to our commercial and passenger vessels as well? Surely you know that infringes upon Narn sovereignty!"

"As it infringes upon the sovereignty of all the others when you do the same to them," Delenn stated in an uncompromising tone of voice.

"In addition," Sinclair continued, "We have decided to join Minbari forces in strengthening the boundaries within which the Earth Alliance conducts its business. Our EarthForce ships are prepared to use force to defend the rights of our people and those of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. None of us particularly want a war with the Narn Regime, Ambassador G'Kar, but we all feel that you and your government have gone too far. _Your choice, Ambassador."_

G'Kar stared at Sinclair as though he was a bothersome sand-gnat, but he did not reply. Ni'Kar could tell that his brother's back was "up against a wall" as Garibaldi would say.

"We are also willing to help our Human friends," Ambassador Mollari announced, his delight far from concealed, "The Centauri Republic is not in a position to offer much to the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, but we will post a few of our warships along certain strategic Human borders."

G'Kar glared at them. He appeared to be collecting his thoughts and getting ready to make a rebuttal. Before he could do this, Ni'Kar interjected himself into the conversation by taking out G'Kar's copy of the _Book of G'Quan_ that he had hidden under his cape. He had, thankfully, bookmarked the fifth passage of Chapter Five, which Tre'a had recommended to him.

"Members of the Council and League of Non-Aligned Worlds!" he called out, stepping forward, "I know that I am not a member of either of your councils, but I was invited to attend this meeting. If you will allow it, I have something to read my brother G'Kar from our holy book, _The Book of G'Quan._ Please turn on your translators, for I must read the Holy Book in the Narn language. _"_

Sinclair nodded at him, while G'Kar's eyes widened in surprise.

"G'Kar, my brother," he said to him, "I am sorry to oppose you. But listen to what the Book of G'Quan says on this matter:

 _ **"My people, let it be known that G'Quan's order to all his followers is to respect the strangers who travel into his lands. All people must be permitted to enter the Holy City of G'kamazad, no matter their beliefs, whether they are G'Quanists, TalQuithians, followers of G'Lan, or non-believers. My people! All you who would call yourselves my followers: let not petty disputes over trade routes or planting territories spoil your generosity towards others! Seek to be just to the Stranger, no matter their language, eye color, or spot array; no matter their clan, ranking, or station in life; no matter their gender, marital status or age. Seek always to be just and generous to all, my people, for that is the way of Life. To those who squabble over trading territories, to those who would be merciless for the sake of such trifles, I say shame unto you, for you are not my followers! Change your ways, and I will re-consider my judgment. As to the rest of you, you shall arise to speak for the oppressed."**_

Ni'Kar closed the book, dismayed at the pertinence of the passage to their current dilemma. Tre'a had certainly recommended the right passage. He was, as usual, amazed at his wife's clarity of mind and heart. He had completely forgotten about that oft-quoted passage, and apparently G'Kar had as well.

"But...Ni'Kar, that passage is meant for Narns only!" G'Kar stammered, stunned by the holy commandment, "G'Quan is not speaking about aliens from other planets when he writes these things. You know that I have always stood up for the rights of lower-class Narns, my brother!"

Ni'Kar stared at G'Kar in silence, just as the protestors had done. Slowly, his brother's fiery red-eyed gaze fell to the floor as he hung his head in defeat. G'Kar was well known on the station for being a dedicated follower of the G'Quanist faith, and he knew that he was honor-bound to follow the teachings of G'Quan to the best of his ability. He knew that making excuses would not change the power of the passage that had just been read. The passage had been equally as challenging to Ni'Kar, for he had often failed to obey G'Quan's last teaching on speaking out for the oppressed on many an occasion.

As Ni'Kar was considering G'Quan's latter statement, three Humans stood up and walked to the center of the room. It was Captain Jonas Rhodes, the Human that Ni'Kar had encountered just before coming to Babylon 5; and he was accompanied by Jack from the A.A. meeting as well as the Human female named Cheryl, the third delegate chosen to represent the protestors. Ni'Kar had forgotten about them, as had G'Kar. They had been sitting with the League Ambassadors, unnoticed and off to one side.

"Councilor Ni'Kar," Jonas Rhodes began, "and Ambassador G'Kar. I met you about one day ago, Councilor, at one of the disputed areas, and you were not speaking up for my rights at that time. Although you were toeing the party line, I was of the opinion then, as now, that you did not agree with it. How do you expect things to change if Narns such as yourself do not make their viewpoints known? I appreciate the fact that you are undoubtedly under great pressure to obey your Regime, and perhaps speaking out would even put your life in danger. Still, governments like yours will press their advantage full tilt until enough people stand up and tell them _**'no'.**_ Bullying governments must be opposed if we are all to enjoy full access to trade routes—Narns as well as ' _Others'_. Would you be willing to join me and the League Ambassadors in re-negotiating a treaty which gives fair access to trading routes for all people—just as your spiritual leader G'Quan, bids you to do?"

"I..." Ni'Kar hesitated. He desperately wanted to do as Rhodes suggested, but he was afraid for the safety of his family if he went up against the more powerful elements of the Narn government once again. There were people in the government whose aim was complete and total domination of _all_ races and _all_ territories. Even Narns like G'Kar were considered to be "peace-mongers" by this power-hungry group. Narns like Ni'Kar, who had taken steps towards peace, were considered "traitors", and they and their families were under constant scrutiny by the elite forces.

Ni'Kar's "A.A. friend", Jack, was staring at him in disappointment.

"Come on, Nikky!" Jack encouraged him, "You know you want to resolve this in a fair way. What are you gonna do—crawl back into the bottle again, or start making amends to all these deserving people?"

"I want to resolve this, Jack," Ni'Kar replied, "But I am concerned for my family's welfare if I take this step. I know that my wife and my pouchlings are not anyone else's concern, but they are very important to me. I must consider this—if it were only my life that was on the line, you know that I would jump in and fight. But it is not only my life that will be in jeopardy. I walk a fine balance between what I can and cannot do, and it is beginning to tip towards that which is dangerous."

"But you know what your wife would want you to do," Jack admonished him, "You've told us before at the meetings—you knew that there would come a day when you would have to stand up for your pouchlings' future. If you don't, your kids won't have much of a future anyways. Isn't that what you told Mike and I?"

Ni'Kar stared at Jack anxiously. "Mike" was, of course, Garibaldi. He had foolishly shared with them some very personal information under the theory that it would not be shared outside of the "anonymous" meeting. He stared desperately at his younger brother, realizing that he had just stuck himself into a huge moral quagmire with no way out. G'Kar pursed his lips in irritation before finally speaking up.

"This is _not_ Ni'Kar's choice to make," G'Kar interjected, "It is mine, as Commander Sinclair has already noted. Because I am so obviously outnumbered on this issue, I will concede the point to you all. Perhaps I ought to have done so earlier, in order to prevent this travesty of public opinion; but I never imagined that so many people would oppose perfectly reasonable territorial claims. Certainly, no one did when the Centauris ruled the galaxy, but perhaps we Narns are considered less valuable than the rest of you. Very well, I will talk to my government and recommend that the traditional trading routes along your borders be restored."

The three Humans looked relieved. Jonas Rhodes nodded, and they again took their seats.

"Thank you, Ambassador G'Kar," Sinclair acknowledged the Narn, "In that case, the excessive military measures that we have discussed will not need to be taken; however, we do reserve the right to patrol the various routes and borders to ensure that no harassment of unarmed vessels is taking place. Will you make this known to your government? We are not doing this as a hostile act, but only as a means of defending ourselves and our neighbors."

"Yes, Commander," G'Kar agreed, his voice more reconciliatory, "We of the Narn Regime do not wish to oppress anyone. It was never our intention to create hysteria among your people. Your reaction is overwrought, of course, but we will abide by your dictates in order to ensure the peace. I believe that I can convince most members of my government to accept compromise, but a new treaty will need to be drawn up...and I insist upon being the one to negotiate it, rather than my less qualified brother, Ni'Kar. He has made a mess out of the so-called Io-Richilari Treaty, and I believe it is because of this that we have been having such problems."

As G'Kar addressed the Council, an ambassador from the League stepped forward. She was from a race of humanoid amphibians called _the Abbai,_ and Ni'Kar recognized her as Ambassador Kalika of the Abbai Matriarchate. She had a crest on the top of her head which reminded him of a fish's fin. Unlike a fish, however, Kalika was evidently able to breathe and operate in an environment without water. She looked straight at Ni'Kar, and then at Sinclair. The Commander nodded to her, giving her the floor.

"Council members," she addressed them, "and fellow League members. Councilor Ni'Kar, I have been chosen by the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to ask that you be present at this new round of negotiations. Ambassador G'Kar has made it clear to us on this and other occasions that he will not be shut out of any talks regarding the Narn Regime, and we respect his right to be there; but we feel that we need another representative from the Narn government who can more adequately respond to _our_ needs and concerns. We need a Narn whom we know will act honorably as a mediator between the League and the Regime. We seek someone like you, who we have known on other occasions to be as fair as your government will allow. We realize that you take a terrible risk in assuming this role, but we know of no other Narn as honorable as you. We ask you to please consider our request."

Ni'Kar was flabbergasted. He knew that he had made a large number of concessions to League vessels while patrolling the borders in their zones, but he had no idea that they regarded him as "honorable".

 _Perhaps it is not such a compliment_ , Ni'Kar thought, _for what does it say about Narns in general that_ _ **I, Ni'Kar,**_ _am considered honorable?_

"I have a suggestion, Ambassador," Sinclair said to Kalika, "If you will permit me. I suggest that the League and the Earth Alliance work out the _general framework_ for the treaty with Ambassador G'Kar; Councilor Ni'Kar may attend these sessions so that he understands this framework, and so that he may be an intercessory of sorts whenever he feels that the League's concerns are not being met. I further suggest that once the body of the Treaty has been worked out to everyone's satisfaction, that we send an Envoy from the Narn Regime to work out the finer details with the Earth Alliance; and specifically, with Senator Marion Glass of the Io Colony, who has been involved with these trade route negotiations since day one. If the League feels that it would like to be represented at these talks, they are more than welcome to send Envoys to Io from all their worlds, if they so choose. Ambassador G'Kar, I would like to recommend that Councilor Ni'Kar be sent to Io as a special Envoy so that he may more fully understand the concerns of the colonists, since Io is the colony most affected by this dispute with the Narn Regime. I have also been directed by Senator Glass to invite Ni'Kar's immediate family to come to Io as a kind of cultural exchange. After the finer details of the new treaty have been worked out, the people of Io may wish to send their own Envoy to the Narn Regime—assuming, of course, that the present dispute has been settled. Are you willing to consider this as an option, Ambassador G'Kar?"

"I will consider it, Commander Sinclair," G'Kar told him, "provided that Ni'Kar report to me regularly to inform me of what he is doing on Io. It might be a good idea, from the perspective of my government, to keep Ni'Kar out of the way for awhile. He has become a thorn in the side of some members of _the Kha'ri_ , and I would like to put some distance between them and the family of Ni'Kar. Ni'Kar, would you be willing to bring your family with you to Io, as opposed to leaving them behind on Narn? Remember that there is always a risk involved in bringing your wife and children into an alien culture."

Ni'Kar felt his heart leap at the thought of residing on a planet that was not under the thumb of the Narn Regime—and especially, to bring his family there! He was certain that Tre'a and the children would be safer on a Human world than they would on Narn. He would then be free to act as his conscience bid him rather than as a puppet of the Regime.

"Yes, G'Kar!" he cried out in excitement, "I would like to go to Io—I will ask my wife, but I am certain that she will agree."

"Well, Ni'Kar," G'Kar said slyly, "Why don't you go now to my quarters and contact Tre'a? Tell her to come to Babylon 5 first to discuss the possibility. I will deal with the rest of this business."

Ni'Kar bowed to the Council and took his leave. He knew that G'Kar was trying to get rid of him, but he felt that he had contributed all that he could to the discussion. The rest would be up to the Babylon 5 Advisory Council, of which G'Kar was a member.

He was so excited that he almost bumped into Garibaldi on his way out.

"Whoa, Ni'Kar," Garibaldi said, "Where are you going in such a hurry? Did G'Kar kick your ass out?"

"Not exactly, Garibaldi," he replied, "Would you or one of your people accompany me to G'Kar's quarters, please? I must contact my wife immediately."

"Sure," Garibaldi responded, "I..."

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a beep on his comm device.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's Ivanova," the Second-in-Command of Babylon 5 said in an urgent tone, "and you need to get Commander Sinclair to come up here right away. We have reports of a Narn military vessel attacking a group of unarmed cargo vessels on the Io-Richilari border."


	8. Firing Shots

11

 _ **Chapter Eight: Firing Shots**_

Garibaldi called Commander Sinclair out of the Council meeting immediately. When he told him what was happening, Sinclair said, "Damn!"

"I'll scramble together a squadron of _Starfury_ fighters and we'll get over there right away," Garibaldi offered, "If you agree, Jeff."

"Commander Sinclair," Ni'Kar said as Sinclair nodded at Garibaldi in the affirmative and the Chief departed hastily, "I can be of assistance to you in this, since I am Fleet Commander of this zone. Let me go to your Command and Control Center, and I will attempt to contact the Narn Captain from there."

"One moment, Councilor," Sinclair said to him, as he conferred with his second-in-command, Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova.

"Can you contact the Narn vessel from _C & C,_ Ivanova?" Sinclair asked.

"We can send a transmission, but I doubt if he'll pause his attack in order to take a call from us," Ivanova replied.

"The Captain must take a transmission from his Fleet Commander," Ni'Kar whispered to Sinclair.

"Try sending it on behalf of Fleet Commander Ni'Kar and Ambassador G'Kar. I'll be up there with Ni'Kar and G'Kar as soon as I can," Sinclair said, before going back into the Council Chambers to consult with Delenn and G'Kar.

Sinclair emerged from the Council Chambers a minute later and proceeded to lead both Ni'Kar and G'Kar up to the Command and Control Center.

"Delenn is sending a ship," G'Kar whispered to Ni'Kar as they hurried after the Commander, "We must warn the vessel's Captain before her warcruiser gets there. The Minbaris are not people to be trifled with."

As they arrived at " _C & C_", they saw that Ivanova had somehow managed to get hold of the Captain. Looking up at the view-screen, Ni'Kar saw that it was Captain Ba'Gor, one of the Regime's more aggressive military men.

"Ba'Gor!" He ordered him angrily in the Narn language, "Stand down, immediately! There will be a Minbari warcruiser firing shots up your ass if you don't. These territorial zones are about to be re-negotiated, and you are screwing us all up with your disgraceful actions."

"Commander," Ba'Gor addressed his superior in a tone of barely concealed contempt, "There is nothing to be concerned about. I have only disabled these ships' engines. I know that I cannot destroy Human vessels in this area, although I should be given that right since they and the others have been trespassing on Narn territory."

"The trading routes are no longer Narn territory, Ba'Gor," G'Kar addressed the Captain, "Your orders are to stand down, and it is G'Kar of the Third Circle who is now ordering it."

"You diplomats do not understand what needs to be done," Ba'Gor growled beneath his breath, before thinking better of it and answering in a more respectful tone, "The Humans have not been hurt. They will require a tractor beam "tow" to Babylon 5, however."

"Commander," Ni'Kar volunteered, "My personal ship, the _Nu'Ral,_ has tractor beam capacity. I think it would send a message of reconciliation to your people if I and my crew went out to aid in the rescue process. I do not want this attack on your Cargo vessels to escalate into a more serious conflict, especially not when we have just been making progress on a more peaceful solution."

"Agreed," Sinclair responded, "but I think we should send an escort with you to make it clear that you are not an enemy vessel. EarthForce has of course been contacted, and they are sending two ships to the area."

"Ba'Gor!" Ni'Kar warned the Narn Captain, "You will soon be surrounded by Earth vessels as well as the Minbari warcruiser. _Do not_ —repeat, _do not_ fire on any of them—no disabling of engines, no warning shots, no nothing. Is that clear?"

"I am not a fool, Commander," Ba'Gor replied, "I will, of course, obey."

Ivanova sent a transmission to the two EarthForce vessels explaining the situation, and likewise warning them not to fire on the Narn vessels unless fired upon first. She then contacted Garibaldi, who was preparing to lead a Squadron of fighters out to the contested zone.

"Garibaldi," she ordered him, "The situation is this: the Narn vessel has only disabled our Cargo vessels, not destroyed them. The Captain has been ordered not to fire upon _any_ of the incoming vessels. Commander Ni'Kar is going out there with a diplomatic vessel of his own—it has tractor beam capacity, and he will aid in the towing process as a gesture of reconciliation. You are to escort him out there to make sure that there are no misunderstandings. The Cargo vessels are then to be brought in to B5 for repair. Can you and your team manage that?"

"How many Cargo vessels?" Garibaldi asked.

"Three," Ivanova answered him, "two of them are fairly small. They were traveling together for protection."

"Okay," Garibaldi responded, "We can manage the two small ones if Ni'Kar will take the not-so-small one."

"Yes," Ni'Kar agreed, "I will be out there presently, Mr. Garibaldi."

Ni'Kar looked at G'Kar for confirmation, and G'Kar waved his hand.

"Go," he commanded, "but do not arrest Ba'Gor. He was acting within his understanding of the Regime's laws."

Ni'Kar grunted, and departed just as Ambassador Delenn entered the Command Center in order to confer with Sinclair. He was fairly certain that she would contact her warcruiser to update them on the situation, for he heard G'Kar explaining the circumstances to her as the lift doors closed.

As he descended to the level of the Babylon 5 docking facilities, he contacted his own Captain, Ra'Mogh of the Red Spot. Ra'Mogh normally functioned as an engineer aboard the _Ta'Kel,_ but when the _Nu'Ral_ was needed for the more delicate diplomatic missions, he was called into service as its Captain. Ra'Mogh would perform the duty of scrambling the appropriate crew members at short notice, so that Ni'Kar could concentrate solely on his diplomatic role. Once he boarded the _Nu'Ral,_ he would be performing within his political role as Fourth Circle Councilor rather than the military role of Fleet Commander. The dual roles were often difficult to juggle, but Ni'Kar had commissioned the _Nu'Ral_ for that very purpose. The ship had enough weapons capacity to defend itself, but it was not a military class vessel designed to fight battles. It had a far "softer" design, one which Ni'Kar hoped would reflect peaceful as opposed to war-like intentions.

When he arrived on board ship, Ra'Mogh had assembled the crew in record time and was preparing the ship to leave the docking bay. Ni'Kar sat down beside Ra'Mogh in his own command chair. It had long ago been decided between them that Ra'Mogh would look after the direction of the ship and crew while Ni'Kar focused solely upon his diplomatic role. He settled down and relaxed as much as he was able while Ra'Mogh gave the orders to the crew.

It seemed to Ni'Kar an eternity before the Babylon 5 Command and Control Centre cleared them for departure, but he knew that it was only a few minutes because the _Nu'Ral_ had top priority over the other vessels. As the vessel left the space station, Garibaldi and his team of _Starfury_ fighters fell into formation around the _Nu'Ral._

"Garibaldi," Captain Ra'Mogh contacted the Human, "this is Ra'Mogh, Captain of the _Nu'Ral._ Councilor Ni'Kar of the Fourth Circle is safely aboard and we may now proceed to the contested zone."

"Okay, Ra'Mogh," Garibaldi acknowledged the Narn commander, "You lead the way once we've cleared jump gate and we'll stay with you. I and half of my group will go through the jump gate first; then you, and then the second half of my team. Agreed?"

"Yes, Mr. Garibaldi," Ra'Mogh confirmed, "I agree. Proceed when ready and we will enter the jump gate next."

Ni'Kar was very proud of Ra'Mogh. He had taught the younger Narn everything he knew about not only commanding a ship, but also about how to use diplomacy in those cases where force was likely to cause unnecessary havoc. The young engineering student with the rusty-red spots had learned well, and so Ni'Kar had chosen him for the role of commanding his diplomatic vessel. He hoped to convince the Regime that such vessels were a good investment on their part, but he needed to prove it with the _Nu'Ral_ before anyone would seriously listen to him. This impromptu mission was an excellent opportunity to prove the worth of "diplomatic" vessels.

The _Nu'Ral_ waited for Garibaldi and his group to open the jump point and go through before following them. The jump point opened for them with an explosion of light, propelling them forward with unimaginable speed. They would soon be expelled close to their destination point, and Ni'Kar was terribly anxious to arrive there. He fervently hoped that Ba'Gor did not do something stupid.

The Narn Military was made up of many excellent warriors, but they were not always so skilled at the fine art of diplomacy. G'Kar was one of the few Narns within the establishment who had a "knack" for it; and that was why his brother had been chosen for his current role as Ambassador to Babylon 5. Ni'Kar often felt, however, that G'Kar was not using all of his talent in this area as well as he could. He could not help but feel that this whole mess could have been prevented had G'Kar been willing to make a few simple territorial concessions. He feared that it was pride that had stopped his brother from doing so, although he did not like to think that G'Kar would ever put pride before the safety and honor of his people. He resolved to have a serious discussion with his younger brother on this topic when he returned to Babylon 5. G'Kar needed to be made aware of how his behavior was adversely affecting the Narns' reputation, putting their entire population at risk of a serious attack.

The trip out to the "contested zone" was uneventful. As they drew near to the Narn vessel, however, they could see that Ba'Gor was surrounded by two EarthForce vessels and the one huge Minbari warcruiser. Garibaldi contacted the Commanders of the EarthForce vessels to let them know that Ni'Kar and the crew of the _Nu'Ral_ were here to help. Delenn had obviously updated the Minbari Commander on the situation, for the warcruiser was not doing anything at present except creating an ominous presence.

"Open a line of communication to Ba'Gor," Ni'Kar ordered Ra'Mogh.

When the channel had been opened, the view-screen showed the contemptuous face of Captain Ba'Gor.

"Councilor Ni'Kar," he addressed his superior according to his composite political role, "You have arrived at the right time. These hairy _schrock-mas_ have been threatening to arrest me for defending our sovereign territory! Surely your diplomatic tendencies will not cause you to cave in to their demands? If they insist on continuing their impudence, I have been informed by Fleet Commander Ma'Grahk that he and his fleet of warships will join me in opposing them and their Minbari allies."

"Ba'Gor, don't be a fool! The Minbaris will decimate our fleet should we fire upon them. Consider what happened to the Humans when they fired upon one of their vessels ten years ago—they were very nearly destroyed by the Minbaris. We cannot afford to incur their wrath upon our heads."

"You must tell that to Ma'Grahk, Councilor, not me. He says that you and G'Kar have been selling us out to the aliens, and that he is taking control of your zone—since you are presently engaged in your diplomatic and not your military role, he feels that he has this right."

"He has no right!" Ni'Kar growled, but he knew that he was shouting at the wrong person. Ba'Gor had no authority over the zone as a whole—he was only following his orders to the best of his understanding.

"Ba'Gor, your orders at present are to _stand down_ —as G'Kar of the Third Circle has commanded you to do. Remember that G'Kar outranks Ma'Grahk."

Ni'Kar terminated the conversation with Ba'Gor and they instead opened a channel to Garibaldi, who was organizing his team around the two small cargo vessels in order to "tow" them back to B5 through a small tractor beam array.

"Garibaldi," Ni'Kar said to him, "We may have a problem. Captain Ba'Gor has informed me that Fleet Commander Ma'Grahk may arrive to make our job that much more difficult—he is a far more aggressive Commander than I am, and he will use any excuse to divest me of my authority and take control himself."

"Damn Narns!" Garibaldi swore, "No offence, Councilor, to you, Ra'Mogh, and your crew; but can't you get G'Kar to deal with Ma'Grahk? It seems like you guys are not exactly acting as a unified team at the moment."

Their conversation was interrupted by the opening of a jump point. Ni'Kar swore like Garibaldi when he saw the Narn heavy cruiser which emerged out of hyper-space.

Ra'Mogh ordered a channel of communication to the cruiser immediately.

"Ma'Grahk!" Ni'Kar addressed the Commander, "There is no need for you to intervene. We have this situation under control...repeat, _we have this situation under control."_

In answer, Ma'Grahk fired a warning shot at the EarthForce vessels, each of which immediately responded in kind.

"Ma'Grahk!" Ni'Kar shouted as Ra'Mogh's communication officer struggled to keep the channel open, "G'Kar of the Third Circle has ordered you to stand down! Ra'Mogh, send a long-distance transmission to the Babylon 5 Command Station and get G'Kar to talk to this infernal _schrock-ma!_ "

Ra'Mogh did as he was told. Meanwhile, the Minbari Commander was also attempting to send a transmission to the Narn Commander. When she did not receive an answer, she contacted the _Nu'Ral_ instead.

"Councilor Ni'Kar," she said in an authoritative voice, "This is Duronn, Commander of the Minbari warcruiser _Patanda._ Please tell the commander of your heavy cruiser to stand down, or have your representative on Babylon 5 do so. If he fires just one more shot at the Human vessels, I will destroy _his_ vessel."

Ni'Kar was fairly certain that Ma'Grahk was listening in on their conversation, and so he asked Ra'Mogh to open a dual channel.

"Did you hear that, Ma'Grahk?" Ni'Kar demanded, "Will you ignore us now? The Minbaris are set to blow your ass right out of the galaxy if you do not _stand down._ Do you people have no ears, or is it that you have no brains? I will arrange for _you_ to be arrested for treason if you do not obey my order."

Finally, the image of a large, craggy-faced Narn with a huge scar on his forehead appeared on their split view-screen, beside that of Commander Duronn.

"Ni'Kar, you and your _little brother_ G'Kar are cowards with no stomach for fighting!" Ma'Grahk called, "If the Minbaris think that they can push us around _in our own territory,_ I will show them differently. I and my crew are prepared to die in the defense of our world—unlike you and your finely spoken brother, who I am told speaks perfectly fluent Centauri, Minbari, and Humanic languages. One wonders where his allegiance truly lies."

"You assume too much about my brother G'Kar, Ma'Grahk," Ni'Kar warned his fellow officer, "He and I are as dedicated as you to defending our world—but we believe in doing so intelligently. Your so-called "bravery" is nothing but _stupid courage._ You are all brawn and no brains. We are in the midst of re-negotiating these territories, and very soon, you will find yourself on the wrong side of the Law."

"I am very impressed by your _diplomatic skills_ , Ni'Kar of the White Spot. Do you begin all your negotiations with childish name-calling?"

A voice in the background informed Ma'Grahk that there was an incoming call from Ambassador G'Kar. Ma'Grahk snarled in irritation, but took the call through a secondary channel.

"Commander Ma'Grahk!" the voice of G'Kar boomed, "Do you have no ears to hear? You have been ordered repeatedly to stand down and still you have continued to defy us. You must _cease hostilities_ immediately! I appreciate your fervor, but it is misplaced at present. I have spoken with the _Kha'ri,_ and they are not prepared to risk a war with the Minbaris. Contrary to what you may have heard, the Minbaris are _not_ weak cowards who surrendered to the Humans out of fear. I assure you, they would have had no problem exterminating the Humans if they had so chosen, and they possess the capacity to exterminate _us_ if we provoke them."

Ma'Grahk growled as G'Kar spoke to him, tapping his claw against the arm of his command chair.

"Very well, O Fine-Spoken One of the Great Third Circle," Ma'Grahk conceded reluctantly, "But understand that my father occupies a higher governmental position than either you or Ni'Kar, and he will not be pleased to hear that you are giving away Narn territory out of fear."

"We are giving away _nothing_ out of fear..." G'Kar began, enraged by the Commander's insubordinate comment, "I..."

G'Kar was not able to finish his comment. A jump gate point opened, and another Narn cruiser came charging out of it, weapons ready to fire.

Before any of them had time to react, the cruiser fired shots at the Earth vessels. The EarthForce ships fired back as Commander Duronn's warcruiser moved forward and targeted the engines of the Narn ship that was firing the shots. She then disabled its weapons systems, and in two short blasts did the same to Ma'Grahk's ship. The two disabled cruisers were now heavily damaged and hanging miserably in space, completely vulnerable.

Through their communications system, they overheard a call from Garibaldi's Starfury as he and his squadron slowly moved the two cargo vessels towards the safety of the jump gate.

"C n' C, this is Garibaldi," he informed them, "I think we're going to need at least a couple more heavy-tow vessels to come out here and rescue the Narns."


	9. Farewell to Babylon 5

7

 _ **Chapter Nine: Farewell to Babylon 5**_

Ni'Kar and Ra'Mogh waited patiently as Garibaldi and his team brought the two smaller cargo vessels into the B5 docking facilities. The _Nu'Ral_ had towed the larger cargo vessel, as promised; but Ni'Kar felt that their "diplomatic gesture" had been smashed to smithereens by the hostile actions of Ma'Grahk and his gang.

When the Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari had heard about the disabled Narn vessels, he had been overjoyed to send two nearby Centauri vessels out to the "contested zone" to rescue the Narns. Since the Centauri vessels were well-equipped to tow the cruisers, Ni'Kar had agreed. He knew G'Kar would be furious, but even he would have to admit that it was the perfect punishment for Ma'Grahk and the others to undergo the embarrassment of being "rescued" by Centauris. It was preferable to do that than to ask the Humans to tow them back, given that the Narns had engaged in hostile actions against them.

Captain Ba'Gor's ship had been unaffected by Duronn's attack because he, at least, had finally obeyed G'Kar's order to stand down. Ni'Kar had ordered Ba'Gor to help the Centauris in their efforts to secure the two disabled cruisers, and he had grudgingly obeyed since he knew that the Humans and Minbaris would be in no mood to help them. The _Nu'Ral_ had taken up the rear of the odd procession in order to supervise Ba'Gor and the others, making sure that there were no more rash acts of violence.

It took a long time for the Centauri vessels to safely deposit the Narn cruisers in the docking facilities. When at last it was the _Nu'Ral's_ turn to dock, there were plenty of dock workers available to aid the disabled cargo vessel that they had brought in. Ni'Kar left Ra'Mogh to deal with the two ships and he set off to find G'Kar.

He did not have far to go before he saw his brother, together with Commander Sinclair, Delenn, and Londo Mollari waiting near the docking facilities to greet the crews of the various vessels.

"Ah, G'Kar!" Londo teased the Narn Ambassador, "So glad to have been of service to your poor disabled warships! Please, you don't have to thank me too profusely..."

"I warn you, Mollari," G'Kar said between clenched teeth, "Do not provoke me at this moment!"

"Yes," Londo replied in delight, "I imagine it must be very humiliating for you and your brave Commanders to have been helped by Centauris. But, my dear colleague, it was worth the effort from my perspective, as I _so enjoyed_ your discomfort when I volunteered our courageous heroes of the Centauri Republic to rally to your cause!"

" _All right, Londo_!" Sinclair cautioned him, "That's enough. You've been at G'Kar constantly for the past fifteen minutes. Quit while you're ahead, before we have a murder investigation on our hands."

"Commander Sinclair," G'Kar seethed, " _You have no idea_ how close you are to just such an investigation."

"Ni'Kar, my dear White Spot!" Mollari continued, oblivious to Sinclair's warning, "I imagine that you are not quite so bothered by our aid, are you? It is amazing to see such an astronomical difference between two genetically related people as you and your brother. One is as volatile as an Earth volcano, and the other is as docile as Spoo larvae. Yes, and your white spots remind me of Spoo worms, as I think about it..."

"Yes, Londo Mollari," Ni'Kar responded in a good-natured tone of voice, "Many people have told me that. Perhaps it is because I spent so long processing Spoo for our Centauri Masters during the Occupation. But no matter...I do thank you for your help today."

Ni'Kar was determined not to let Mollari have the satisfaction of annoying him. He could tell that his absence of a negative reaction soothed G'Kar somewhat, simply because it disappointed Mollari's perverse delight in their shame.

Commander Sinclair, thankfully, was far more diplomatic. He thanked Ni'Kar for his help with the whole affair, and he told them that the request for Ma'Grahk's and Ba'Gor's arrest was now a moot point since Duronn had ended the skirmish before anyone was killed. After this particular incident, however, it was clearer than ever that they needed to re-negotiate the trade routes and territorial claims. Even G'Kar understood that, and he committed himself to hammering out the "general framework" of the new treaty with the Advisory Council and the League.

Ni'Kar's wife Tre'a was excited about the idea of going to Io with Ni'Kar as part of a "cultural exchange". She and her young children had boarded the first passenger ship to Babylon 5 that they could find in order to join him. They were obliged to stay in a guest suite for the time being, however, as Ni'Kar needed to be present for the first phase of the treaty negotiations on Bablyon 5. With luck, however, he hoped that they could depart for Io within the next few weeks.

The family took a few days to acclimatize themselves to the busy space station, but it was not long before little Ni'Ko was pestering them to explore the busy "B5" community. Thankfully, G'Kar's aide Na'Toth was amenable to taking the family on various tours of the station while G'Kar and Ni'Kar were busy with the negotiations.

In between spending time with his family and attending treaty negotiations, Ni'Kar found that he was even able to attend a few "A.A." meetings with Garibaldi and Jack. Now that the disputes were being settled, Ni'Kar was again welcome to go to the group. After one particularly emotional meeting where Ni'Kar had shared his fears and anxieties about his family and his society, Garibaldi asked him to come to his quarters in order to watch some Earth cartoons and munch on popcorn.

"Sometimes you need to do something that is pure, off-the-wall fun after a meeting like that," Garibaldi told him, "Cartoons are the best remedy for stress that I know."

Garibaldi seemed to favor an Earth program about a big black bird who stomped around a lot, swore, and became very stressed himself as he dealt with all kinds of comical situations. It seemed to be a great relief for Garibaldi, however, to laugh uproariously at the antics of the strange bird. The cartoons were very strange, for they depicted birds and animals as walking and talking like humanoid bipedal beings. Ni'Kar laughed along with Garibaldi, although he did not completely understand every aspect of the Earth bird's humor.

It was not long before Garibaldi had invited Ni'Kar's whole family for supper, and little Ni'Ko became as "hooked" on the cartoons as the Security Chief was. Ni'Ko wanted to spend every waking minute with " _Garrrr-a-ball-dee the Human_ ", and when he was not available, with Uncle G'Kar listening to "war stories". Ni'Kar had to make sure that he took the time to tell his son stories about peace and honor as well. He did not want to wake up one day and find that Ni'Ko had grown up without his pouch-father's input and guidance.

Ni'Kar was pleased to see that Tre'a and the pouchlings were having a calming effect on "Uncle G'Kar". The busy Narn loved to cook for the family as much as Garibaldi did, but instead of watching cartoons afterwards he would tell dramatic stories to Ni'Ko and the smaller pouchlings. He even told them the story of what had transpired in the "contested zone" of the Io-Richilari border in order to introduce the children slowly to the kind of work that he and their father were doing.

When at last the time came for Ni'Kar to move his family to Io, both G'Kar and Garibaldi were very sorry to see them depart. Even Commander Sinclair and Londo Mollari took the time to bid them farewell after the first phase of the treaty had been negotiated and it was time for the Narn family to board the _Nu'Ral_.

"Bring some S _wedish Meatballs_ when you come for your next visit to B5, Councilor," Sinclair told him, shaking his hand as was the Human custom when saying either good-bye or hello to someone.

"Your wife is far too beautiful a creature for the Narn Regime," Londo Mollari advised him, "You should keep her and your young ones on Io. The Humans will take much better care of them than your insane government."

Ni'Kar had thanked them both, and after they had left he and his family embraced both Garibaldi and G'Kar, who had stayed to see them off.

"Remember what I told you, G'Kar, about treating the Others with honor," he reminded the Ambassador, "Tre'a and I are both concerned about the direction in which our world is headed. If you won't listen to me, at least consider some of the wisdom that Tre'a has shared with you in the past few weeks."

G'Kar remained silent, but he put his fists to his chest and bowed his head to the couple in the Narnish gesture of respect. He then knelt down to touch heads with Ni'Ko while the three youngest ones crawled all over him.

"I don't know about your brother, but I'm gonna miss you crazy Spot-Heads," Garibaldi told them, "I never thought I'd be saying that about a bunch of Narns. Ni'Ko, don't forget The Duck, buddy."

"Ya, _Budd-eee Garrrr-a-ball-dee_!" Ni'Ko chirped, waving his hand enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Garibaldi, for being a friend to me and my family," Ni'Kar said to the Human, "It has now been a very long time since I have taken a drink, and Tre'a wants me to continue with these "A.A." meetings when I go to Io. They have been helping my family as much as me."

"Good luck on Io, Ni'Kar," Garibaldi replied, "Don't kick around any Cargo vessels while you're there."

"You don't trust me, Garibaldi?" Ni'Kar asked in a jovial tone.

"Nah," the Security Chief responded in an equally good-natured manner, "Never trust a Narn."

With those words of wisdom, Ni'Kar and his family boarded the _Nu'Ral_ and left the bustling world of Babylon 5 behind them.


End file.
